The debate seems to be dominated by appropriateness of audio to video which is usual. For me there was a particular non awareness of western presence in the video which made it so enchanting.I would have preferred African or ambient music myself.

it would be nice to be able to view it here .....why is it restricted to uk viewers only??? i subscribed just to see the full 10 mins.

hi . I saw it on myspace its on my profile at moonbeamonstillwater
i am hiv positive and i studied film and documentary also. i think this is one of
the best short films i have seen - and i have seen dozens , on life for rural children - hiv affected. The music score is beautiful absolutely enchanting and it draws you into their fragile world , which it is . I want to know in a year ,,does the boy follow his father get his passport and become a soldier. an almost perfect idyll that could be preserved with our help. the music speaks to me as a mother - these are little children very innocent life even the teenagers and hopeful. it is very moving . non hiv positive people project their fears too much onto stories about hiv and aids and seem to expect demand that reportage be delivered with funereal chorus and gloom . Life goes on even with death all around and it is important to accept this, and this tender portrayal is a welcome break from the mold. the solutions are much simpler than we imagine sometimes . i hope you raise ten times your target . you should tour this film. I spent time in thailand and interviewed REUSSI volunteers who do the same work but in other countries . they deserve every penny. best of luck

Thought it was pretty good, music at the end was a bit innapropraiate tho, and the random breaks were a bit confusing other than that i really liked it

Hi,

Thanks for your comments...

I thought I'd explain my choice of music at the end of the film and the motive behind it. I wanted to make sure the audience knew that this was not an isolated case and that child headed households are very common. I also
didn't want a throw away statistic. The statistics on AIDS in Africa are so colossal that people can tend to either become unaffected by the figures or feel that the situation is too hopeless.

So, I didn't want the typical tear jerking minor chords that would usually accompany such facts, instead I wanted to remind the audience that these children are children just like their own, so I used music that would typically be used on the credits of a Disney film. By doing this I also
wanted to contrast the cultural difference between the rights of children in a consumerist western world compared to the rights of chidlren in Africa.
And finally I thought the music mirrored the ignorance of many people who are oblivious of the suffering of our fellow earthlings. In other words,it was an attempt at irony.

Whether I managed this or not, I guess is up to you all to decide.

Oh and regarding the score,(which I must give a huge thank you to Tandis for), if I was to make the film again I may reduce (in what way, in volume or in how much it was used?) slightly so, fair comment.